Luminous Nightfall
by Chandrakanta
Summary: The first day Bella visits the Cullens' home they receive a visit from their cousins and Charlie, along with a shipment of eight books. The Cullens, Denalis, and Swans sit down to read and discuss the first two books in the shipment.


Disclaimer: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn & Midnight Sun ©2005 – 2008 Stephenie Meyer. Stephenie Meyer owns the characters from her series. I own this story and the character's actions/comments.

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After he finished playing Bella's Lullaby to her, Edward planned to invite Bella on a tour of the rest of the house when he heard a car coming up the drive. Carefully, he listened for the thoughts of the occupants. Surprised, he turned to Bella.

"Do you mind meeting more of our family?" he asked her.

"No, of course not," she replied honestly.

"Our extended family, from Alaska, is coming here now," he explained. _I wonder why Alice didn't see this,_ he thought to himself.

Quickly, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Alice reappeared in the room to greet their guests. "The Denalis are here?" Carlisle confirmed with Edward.

Edward nodded in response.

"Well, Bella, it looks like you'll be meeting everyone today." Carlisle smiled gently at her.

Bella was nervous, yet also strangely excited. These people were all Edward's family and getting some sort of approval from them was important to her.

"Hello," Carlisle greeted their guests as he exited the house. "To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Hello, Carlisle," Tanya responded. "Well, it's a little strange. We received a letter the other day telling us that we should come here today. There was no return address or signature, so we don't know who sent it. I assume, by your surprise, that it was not a member of your family?"

"No, it was not one of us," Carlisle replied thoughtfully. "It is strange but you know you are always welcome here. I would like to warn you first, though, before we go inside, Edward's mate is here today."

"His mate?" Tanya questioned, shocked and disappointed. She knew Edward wasn't her mate, but that had never stopped her pursuit of him before. It was different now though. She knew better than to interfere with a vampire's mating bond.

Though disappointed at losing her chance at a fling with him, she was also happy that his loneliness was at an end. She longed to experience it one day herself, as did her sisters. While they had had their fun with numerous vampires and humans through the centuries, they all wanted to have a deeper connection with someone, as they witnessed with Carmen and Eleazar, not to mention all of the mated couples in the Cullen family.

After a millennium of not finding her other half, though, she didn't expect it to ever happen. She reflected on the luck of the Cullen family. Every one of them had found their other half, with Carlisle waiting the longest at less than 300 years. Carlisle continued speaking, interrupting Tanya's internal musing.

"Yes, this is her first day here, meeting all of us. The thing is, though, she's human."

"Human? Is this the girl Edward ran away from a couple months ago?" Tanya asked.

"One and the same," Carlisle confirmed, smiling.

"Does she know?" Kate asked. Everyone understood what she meant by the question.

"Yes."

"Carlisle, the law…" Eleazar said pointedly.

"It's alright, Eleazar," Carlisle soothed, "firstly, we didn't technically tell her anything, although Edward gave her plenty of clues. And Bella has more than proved herself trustworthy. She will not expose us."

Reassured, everyone entered the house. Alice met them in the foyer, a blank look on her face that they all recognized.

"Alice, what do you see?" Carlisle asked.

"Charlie's coming. I don't know why."

"Okay; thank you, Alice." Carlisle turned to the Denalis and explained. "Charlie is Bella's father. He knows of our family, but does not know what we are. To my knowledge, he is as yet unaware of his daughter's relationship with Edward. Please, everyone, act human while I meet with him and see what he wants."

While they waited for Charlie to arrive, Bella was introduced to the Denalis. "So, you're the family Edward ran to my first day here?" she asked.

"He told you that?" Tanya asked curiously.

"He just said that he took off that night and was in Alaska by the next morning. He said he spent two days there with 'some old acquaintances' and also mentioned that your family was the only other one the Cullens found that shared their diet."

"Old acquaintances? Is that all we are to you, Edward?" Tanya teased.

Edward looked embarrassed. "Of course not," he replied. "I was trying to explain to her how she affected me yesterday and I wasn't ready to explain everything about your family to her yet."

"Well, we'll set you straight, Bella. We consider our family to be an extension of the Cullen family—cousins, in a way."

The vampires quieted as they heard a car turn onto the drive. "Do you know why he's coming?" Bella asked Edward. "It's a Sunday. He should be out fishing."

"No, I can't get anything from his thoughts. Your father is very difficult for me to read. Not as bad as you are, but I can definitely see where you get it from."

"What are you talking about, Edward?" Tanya asked.

"I can't hear Bella's thoughts," he explained bluntly.

The Denalis stared at Bella, astounded, though Eleazar nodded to himself. This could explain some of what he'd sensed from her. They'd never heard of anyone that Edward could not hear before.

The vampires listened as Charlie stopped his car, exited and climbed the stairs to the house. He knocked on the door and Carlisle opened it, greeting him warmly. "Good morning, Chief Swan. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Hello, Dr. Cullen. Please, call me Charlie."

"Thank you, Charlie. Please, call me Carlisle, as well."

"Thanks, Carlisle. As I was leaving the house this morning, I found a box with several books and a couple letters on my doorstep. One of the letters was addressed to me and the other is addressed to you. The letter to me essentially said that I should take the books and come to see you and your family here this morning, at this exact time. It's more than a little strange, but I decided there couldn't be any harm to it. I went to the station for a while, found out exactly where you live here, and now, here I am."

"That's very interesting. Let's get this package and letter, then please, come in and make yourself at home. We also have some close friends from Alaska visiting us today."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I hope I'm not intruding."

"Not at all. You're more than welcome here, Charlie."

Carlisle walked with Charlie back to the cruiser and retrieved the package. It contained eight books and a letter. Together, they walked back and entered the house and Carlisle began introducing everyone to Charlie.

As a cop, Charlie was very observant and he quickly noted all the unusual similarities among them. Though their hair color was different, he noted their eyes and skin tone, both very unusual, yet shared among this family, though they weren't supposed to be actually related to each other. They were also extraordinarily good-looking and they all looked far too young.

Putting aside his observations for the moment, Charlie moved on and spotted Bella sitting on the loveseat next to Edward. "Bella!" he spluttered, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Dad," Bella greeted quietly, fidgeting nervously. She blushed as she remembered Edward asking her to introduce him to Charlie as her boyfriend in the kitchen this morning. Steeling herself, she explained, gesturing to Edward. "This is Edward. He's sort of my boyfriend and he wanted me to meet his family today."

Edward stood smoothly and stepped forward, offering his hand to Charlie, who took it after a moment. "Good morning, sir. I'm glad to meet you."

Charlie nodded, then turned again to Bella. "Your boyfriend, huh? I thought you said you weren't interested in any of the boys in town. When were you planning to let me know about this?"

"Our relationship is still really new. I was planning on telling you soon, I promise," Bella continued, still blushing.

"Hmph," Charlie grunted, turning back to Carlisle and the package. "Well, should we see what this is about," he asked, motioning to the box.

"Yes," Carlisle replied, reaching into the box and retrieving the letter. Opening it up, he read it aloud to the room.

_Hello Cullens, Denalis and Swans,_

_These enclosed books will give you all insight into one possible future for your families. The future has already been changed now that you have received these. It is up to you how much the future will be altered. I advise you to wait on making any major decisions until you finish reading all of the books._

_One set of books are from Bella's point of view and the other set of books are from Edward's point of view. I urge Edward and Bella, at the very least, to keep reading through all of the books, no matter how difficult it becomes._

_Cullens and Denalis, I advise you to share about yourselves with Charlie before you begin. He should be a part of this and he will find out eventually anyway. You can trust him as you trust Bella._

_In order, the books from Bella's point of view are: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. The books from Edward's point of view are: Midnight Sun, Moonless Night, Eternal Equinox and Beyond Dusk. The books correspond with each other, covering approximately the same time frame. For example, Twilight and Midnight Sun are from the time Bella arrives in Forks until May. New Moon and Moonless Night are from September to March, Eclipse and Eternal Equinox are from April to June, followed by Breaking Dawn and Beyond Dusk, which is from August to January._

_I want to assure you all that, if you stick through to the end, there will be a happy ending for all of you. I hope you will have an even better future now, with the foreknowledge you will soon gain. Good luck!_

For a moment, everyone was quiet, then Esme asked Carlisle, "Who sent these?"

"It doesn't say. The box is unmarked and the letter is unsigned."

"Like the one we received then," Tanya replied.

"So it would seem."

"Well, how should we do this, then?" Alice asked.

"Firstly, I want you and Jasper to find Rosalie and Emmett and get them back here. They should be part of this as much as the rest of us. While you're doing that, we'll explain a few things to Charlie."

Alice nodded, grabbed Jasper's hand, and ran at full vampire speed out the door, dropping the human charade since it would no longer be needed.

Charlie jumped and stared where Alice had been, wide-eyed.

"Charlie, why don't you take a seat," Carlisle suggested in a soothing voice, indicating one of the plush recliners near where Bella and Edward were sitting.

Charlie nodded mutely, stumbling over to the chair and dropping into it. "What was that?" he asked breathlessly.

"Carlisle, why don't you let me?" Bella said and Carlisle nodded.

Bella stood and walked to her father, kneeling before him. "Dad, it's okay. There are some things you need to know, things that will be difficult for you to accept, but I need you to hear me—us—out. Can you do that, please?" Charlie stared at his daughter for a moment, then nodded. She continued, "First, I want you to know that you're safe here. There's nothing to worry about. And, you should know that you and I are the only humans in this house." She waited while that knowledge sunk in.

"If we're the only humans," Charlie mused aloud, "then your boyfriend… Dr. Cullen…" He trailed off and took a deep breath. "What are you then, if you're not human?" he asked, looking at Carlisle.

"Dad, they're vampires," Bella said bluntly as Charlie directed his attention back to her, "but don't worry. They won't hurt us. They hunt animals, not people."

Charlie's face had gotten whiter and whiter as Bella spoke. After a minute, he let out a long breath. "Vampires," he breathed. Then his head shot up and he looked sharply over at Bella. "Your boyfriend is a vampire?" he said sternly.

"Umm… yes?"

"Hmph. I guess I'll be learning more about this in these books, huh?"

"Yes, Charlie," Carlisle interrupted and Charlie flinched slightly. Carlisle smiled at him reassuringly. "From the letter, it sounds like any questions you may have should be answered, as they seem to cover the next two years of Edward and Bella's relationship together. I'm sure it will include plenty of information about the rest of us as well. If you have any more questions when we finish, I will answer them for you."

Charlie nodded, still trying to absorb his new knowledge of his town's favorite doctor and his family.

As Carlisle spoke, Bella retreated back to the loveseat, sitting next to Edward and leaning into his side as he gently took her hand into his own. Edward wanted to wrap his arm around her, but thought it too soon for her father, especially after Bella dropped the bombshell about his species. Perhaps later. He asked Esme, in a voice too quiet for the humans to hear, if she could bring a blanket for Bella to help keep her warm against his side. She nodded minutely and left to retrieve a thick fleece blanket for her.

"Since we'll need to read at human speed with the two of you," Carlisle continued, "we will need you to come here as often as possible to read these books. Spring break is coming up, so that frees up Bella for several days. After that, we may have to take a hiatus until summer break, or restrict reading to evenings and weekends as Bella's homework load allows. Perhaps you could take some vacation time, Charlie?"

"Yeah, okay," Charlie mumbled distractedly. "Yeah, I haven't taken any time off in a while. I could do that," he said, getting his nerves under control. "I'll probably only be able to sit with you for the first one, or two, I guess, since they go together. I know I don't have enough vacation time to sit through all of those. You're right about Bella; she has summer break coming up soon enough, so she has plenty of time, but not me. How about I sit through the first couple and see how it goes. If you've earned my trust enough by then for me to feel comfortable leaving Bella with you for the rest, maybe you can just give me summaries of anything you feel I should know. Sound good?"

"I can agree to that," Carlisle said amiably, "and I hope that, through the course of reading these first two books, you decide that you can trust us with the care of your daughter."

Upon her return, Esme spoke up briefly. "Since the two of you will be here for a while, I want you both to be comfortable. Follow me and I'll show you where the first floor bathroom and the kitchen are. Our refrigerator is fully stocked. Feel free to take a break when you need one and to help yourselves to drinks or snacks."

"Thanks," Bella mumbled in embarrassment, standing from her seat and grasping her father's hand, towing him along as she followed Esme on the brief tour she gave of the ground floor. Once they knew where everything was, they all returned to the living room and settled into their seats.

Just then, Alice and Jasper returned, followed by Rosalie and Emmett.

"I explained everything to them," Alice announced.

Rosalie scowled and sat on the couch, not saying anything to anyone.

"Hey, Bella," Emmett greeted cheerfully. "It's nice to finally meet you. Hey, Chief Swan, how ya doin'? You didn't faint or run screamin', so I guess you're takin' it about as well as Bella did," he chuckled.

"Well, I don't know about taking the news too well, but I'm managing the best I can. It explains a lot though. There was always something odd about your family—like your physical appearance—but I just ignored it all before. Now, I guess you can say that I'm trusting Bella's judgment. She trusts you guys and says you're okay, so I will too, for now. Besides, I'm a cop. It's in my training to accept and deal with weird and dangerous situations. I never dreamed of anything like this, but still…" Charlie replied, smiling hesitantly at Emmett's boisterousness.

"Okay, now that everyone's here, let's begin. As far as reading the books go," Carlisle suggested, "I think we should take turns reading the chapters. Also, according to the letter, it seems that the books correspond to each other. Perhaps we should read a chapter of Bella's book, then a chapter of Edward's, so we can fully understand what's happening from both perspectives. Does anyone disagree?"

"Sounds great! I've always wondered what's going through Eddie's head," Emmett smirked.

"Stop calling me Eddie," Edward growled.

The others laughed as they all settled into the living room. Alice pulled out _Twilight_ and _Midnight Sun_. "I'm starting," she exclaimed.

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A/N: This story was pulled by this site on October 9th. I'm only putting the first chapter back here. If you wish to read more, you can visit my blog, AO3, FictionPad, and/or TWCS. The links for all of these sites are on my profile. I'll warn you, updates are very slow on this story, but I'll keep working on it as I can. I have two other stories in progress as well.

**Îngerul Morții**: He's roamed the world, protecting the innocent from the evil who prowl among them, an Angel of Death on Earth. It is his sole purpose in life since he lost his other half and became immortal, until he finds her again. She's young and innocent, studying the criminal mind and how to combat it. She's glimpsed the darker side of humanity and is ready to join him in his crusade.

The first chapter or two of this story will be available in the Fandom Against Domestic Violence compilation.

**Umbra**: Bella knows her destiny has always been to become a vampire, joined with Edward for eternity. Edward, cherishing his mate's humanity, has long fought against the inevitable. Reunited, they are learning to become a stronger couple. Will they learn to overcome the dark thoughts and doubts that plague them? Can they stand strong and united against all their enemies? Eclipse rewritten

The first chapter or two of this story will be available in the Fandom For Mexico compilation.


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